Winner: The 2001 Frederick Milton Thrasher Award (awarded by the National Gang Crime Research Center)

Youth violence and youth gangs are serious social problems. This groundbreaking study explores how marginal male youth make sense of their physical, sexual, and emotional violence towards those they claim to love—their girlfriends—and how the abuse of girls, gays, and racial minorities is related to the development of familial and gender ideologies in the home and on the street. The construction of masculinity is revealed as an ongoing process, negotiated and developed with the resources at hand. The degree, level, and objects of individual and gang violence are linked to differences in adherence to the patterns of male behaviour and authority the child witnesses in the family and in the gang. The language these male youth use in the in-depth interviews reflects their actions and feelings: it is disturbing, yet powerful.

As well as addressing the lack of qualitative information on the subject, this book offers a practical plan for addressing youth violence. It is a valuable resource for students, parents, and professionals.

Mark Totten

MARK TOTTEN's research focuses on organized crime, corrections, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, mental health, violence, and gender identity. He has worked on eight major studies in this area during the past fifteen years, in research funded by public agencies like the National Crime Prevention Centre and other social agencies. Many of his projects involve partnerships with Aboriginal and ethno-racial communities.

Over the past decade he has collaborated with groups in Ontario and Western Canada in the development and evaluation of multi-year gang prevention, intervention, and suppression strategies. He is past Director of Research at the Youth Services Bureau of Ottawa (1987-2007). He is currently Professor of Criminal Justice at Humber College in Toronto.